Bacteria-eating virus to replace antibiotics?
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British scientists have identified a virus which "eats" the bacteria that causes the hospital superbug Clostridium
difficile (C.diff), in a breakthrough that could have major
implications for the fight against antibiotic resistance. The technique
represents a viable alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of
bacterial infection, using naturally occurring viruses called
bacteriophages — "eaters of bacteria", or phages for short.
Researchers at the University of Leicester have isolated phages that specifically target C.diff, an infection of the gut that killed 1,646 in the UK last year. In lab tests the viruses were 90% effective against the most dangerous strains of the bug. The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics is one of the gravest health risks facing the world. Martha Clokie, who led the research, said that phages could have a major role to play in coming decades.
"The future impact of antibiotics is dwindling at a pace that no one anticipated, with more and more bacteria out-smarting and 'out-evolving' these miracle drugs. This has reenergized the search for new treatments," she said.
Unlike antibiotics, phages generally only infect one strain of bacteria. This could make them particularly effective as a treatment for C.diff infections, which become dangerous when antibiotic treatments interfere with the balance of "good" bacteria in the gut. They work by infecting bacteria cells, and replicating their DNA inside the cell. This leads to the cell bursting open and dying, with the new phages released from the dead cell and spreading to kill off other bacteria cells.
Researchers at the University of Leicester have isolated phages that specifically target C.diff, an infection of the gut that killed 1,646 in the UK last year. In lab tests the viruses were 90% effective against the most dangerous strains of the bug. The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics is one of the gravest health risks facing the world. Martha Clokie, who led the research, said that phages could have a major role to play in coming decades.
"The future impact of antibiotics is dwindling at a pace that no one anticipated, with more and more bacteria out-smarting and 'out-evolving' these miracle drugs. This has reenergized the search for new treatments," she said.
Unlike antibiotics, phages generally only infect one strain of bacteria. This could make them particularly effective as a treatment for C.diff infections, which become dangerous when antibiotic treatments interfere with the balance of "good" bacteria in the gut. They work by infecting bacteria cells, and replicating their DNA inside the cell. This leads to the cell bursting open and dying, with the new phages released from the dead cell and spreading to kill off other bacteria cells.
